As Family Reports
Detentions, No Word on Mongolian Activist's Prison Release in
China

The Associated Press

December 9, 2010

By Cara Anna

BEIJING, China - A relative of a
Mongolian activist set to be
released Thursday from a Chinese
prison said the man's wife and son
are now in police detention and he
himself has been warned to keep
silent.

The
scheduled release of Hada, who like
many ethnic Mongolians uses just one
name, has brought a round of
complaints about police harassment.

While
separatism among Mongolians living
in Chinese-controlled Inner Mongolia
is not well known, it's a hot-button
issue for the government, which
fears the spread of the violent
ethnic unrest that has hit Tibet and
Xinjiang in recent years.

Hada,
56, helped found the Southern
Mongolian Democratic Alliance
seeking to establish an independent
nation in Inner Mongolia. He was
sentenced to 15 years in prison a
year later after being accused of
separatism and spying.

The
uncle of Hada's wife said by
telephone Thursday that police have
detained Hada's wife and son, and
there was no word on the activist's
scheduled release.

"Last
week the police came to visit me
twice, once at home and once at my
workplace. They said it would be
better if I didn't pick up telephone
calls from outside," Mascholu said.
"Definitely I'm being watched. The
police told me to be careful."

The
main telephone numbers for the No. 4
prison in Chifeng city, where Hada
served his prison sentence, and the
Inner Mongolia Regional Detention
Center in Hohhot city rang
unanswered Thursday.

Hada's son, 28-year-old Wei Lesi,
told The Associated Press on
Saturday that police had raided the
family bookstore and taken away his
mother, Xinna.

Shortly after that, police took away
Wei Lesi, Mascholu said.

Cell
phones belonging to Wei Lesi and
Xinna were turned off Thursday.

The
U.S.-based Southern Mongolian Human
Rights Information Center said
several Mongolian dissidents in
China have been unreachable
recently, including the writer
Govruud Huuchinhuu, who was detained
last month and put under house
arrest for trying to organize a
rally to welcome Hada's release.

"We
were able to contact Ms. Naraa,
Xinna's sister," Enghebatu Togochog
with the centre said in an email
Thursday. "According to Naraa, Xinna
has still been accused of 'running
an illegal business,' and Uiles is
accused of 'being involved in drug
dealing.'" Uiles is another spelling
for Wei Lesi.